Speaking and Listening — Ascentis Entry Level Foundations for Learning Revision

    This subtopic develops foundational speaking and listening skills for Entry Level 2 learners, focusing on extracting key details from simple spoken texts,

    Topic Synopsis

    This subtopic develops foundational speaking and listening skills for Entry Level 2 learners, focusing on extracting key details from simple spoken texts, checking comprehension, and participating in basic interactions. It underpins functional communication in everyday contexts, such as following instructions, recounting events, and exchanging information with peers and adults.

    Key Concepts & Core Principles

    Exam Tips & Revision Strategies

    Common Misconceptions & Mistakes to Avoid

    Examiner Marking Points

    Speaking and Listening

    ASCENTIS
    vocational

    This subtopic develops foundational speaking and listening skills for Entry Level 2 learners, focusing on extracting key details from simple spoken texts, checking comprehension, and participating in basic interactions. It underpins functional communication in everyday contexts, such as following instructions, recounting events, and exchanging information with peers and adults.

    25
    Learning Outcomes
    38
    Assessment Guidance
    39
    Key Skills
    25
    Key Terms
    42
    Assessment Criteria

    Assessment criteria

    Ascentis Entry Level 2 Award in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills) – Speaking and Listening
    Ascentis Entry Level 1 Award in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills) – Speaking and Listening
    Ascentis Level 1 Award in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills) - Speaking and Listening
    Ascentis Entry Level 1 Extended Award in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills)
    Ascentis Entry Level 2 Extended Award in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills)
    Ascentis Level 1 Certificate in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills)
    Ascentis Entry Level 2 Certificate in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills)
    Ascentis Entry Level 1 Certificate in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills)
    Ascentis Level 1 Extended Award in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills)

    Topic Overview

    The Ascentis Entry Level 2 Award in English (Stepping Stones to Functional Skills) – Speaking and Listening focuses on developing your ability to communicate effectively in everyday situations. This unit covers taking part in simple discussions, following instructions, and expressing your own ideas clearly. It's a foundational step towards Functional Skills English, helping you build confidence in real-world conversations, whether at work, in education, or in social settings.

    You will learn how to listen for key information, respond appropriately to questions, and use basic vocabulary and grammar to make yourself understood. The course emphasises practical communication, such as asking for help, giving directions, or sharing opinions in a group. Mastering these skills is essential for progressing to Entry Level 3 and beyond, as they form the building blocks for more complex speaking and listening tasks.

    This unit is part of the Foundations for Learning suite, designed to support learners who are building essential life skills. By the end of the award, you should be able to participate in short, straightforward exchanges, showing that you can both understand and be understood in familiar contexts. This is not just about passing an exam – it's about equipping you for everyday interactions that matter.

    Key Concepts

    Core ideas you must understand for this topic

    • →Active listening: Paying close attention to what others say, showing you understand by nodding, asking relevant questions, or repeating key points.
    • →Clear speaking: Using simple sentences, appropriate volume, and clear pronunciation so others can follow your meaning.
    • →Turn-taking: Knowing when to speak and when to listen in a conversation, avoiding interrupting others.
    • →Responding appropriately: Answering questions directly, giving relevant information, and staying on topic.
    • →Following instructions: Carrying out a simple set of verbal instructions accurately, such as 'Please turn to page 5 and read the first paragraph.'

    Learning Objectives

    What you need to know and understand

    • 1. Identify and extract information in simple explanations, instructions and narratives2. Confirm their understanding3. Engage in communication with others
    • Ask simple questions to obtain specific information from familiar adults or peers.
    • Listen carefully and identify key details from short, simple spoken messages.
    • Respond appropriately to questions in a one-to-one or small group setting.
    • Contribute simple statements or ideas to a short conversation on a familiar topic.
    • Demonstrate understanding of turn-taking by waiting for a pause before speaking.
    • 1. Communicate with others2. Engage in discussion3. Obtain information from others4. Clarify and confirm information5. Contribute relevantly to conversation
    • Ask simple questions to obtain specific information from others.
    • Demonstrate active listening by responding appropriately to verbal and non-verbal cues.
    • Participate in a simple conversation by taking turns and making relevant contributions.
    • Clarify own understanding by repeating or rephrasing information received.
    • Identify and extract key information from simple spoken explanations, instructions and narratives.
    • Confirm understanding by asking appropriate questions or paraphrasing.
    • Engage in communication with others by contributing relevant responses in turn.
    • Follow simple verbal directions to complete a task.
    • Listen and respond appropriately to requests for personal information.
    • Use non-verbal communication (e.g., nodding, eye contact) to demonstrate listening.
    • 1. Communicate with others2. Engage in discussion3. Obtain information from others4. Clarify and confirm information5. Contribute relevantly to conversation
    • Listen to and accurately identify key information from a short explanation.
    • Demonstrate understanding of simple instructions by repeating them in own words.
    • Ask appropriate questions to confirm comprehension of a narrative.
    • Contribute to a conversation by taking turns and responding appropriately.
    • Recall and retell key points from a spoken narrative.
    • 1. Obtain information from others2.Actively participate in communication with others
    • 1. Communicate with others2. Engage in discussion3. Obtain information from others4. Clarify and confirm information5. Contribute relevantly to conversation

    Assessment Criteria

    Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio

    • Award credit for demonstrating the ability to recall at least two distinct pieces of information from a short, straightforward spoken explanation or narrative.
    • Award credit for clearly rephrasing or summarizing a spoken instruction to show understanding, not merely repeating it verbatim.
    • Award credit for initiating and sustaining a simple conversation with a partner, including appropriate turn-taking and relevant responses.
    • Award credit for using at least one strategy to confirm understanding, such as asking a relevant question or paraphrasing the speaker's point.
    • Award credit for demonstrating the ability to ask at least two different types of question (e.g., ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’).
    • Look for evidence of active listening, such as nodding, eye contact, or repeating back key information.
    • Assess whether the learner responds relevantly to a question without deviating from the topic.
    • Credit for taking turns without interrupting, showing awareness of conversational flow.
    • Evidence of using appropriate non-verbal cues (e.g., facing the speaker) to support communication.
    • Award credit for demonstrating the ability to initiate, maintain, and close conversations appropriately in a range of contexts.
    • Evidence of sustained engagement in discussion, including turn-taking and responding to others' contributions.
    • Award credit for using questioning techniques to obtain information from others, such as open and closed questions as appropriate.
    • Observable behaviours that clarify and confirm understanding, e.g., paraphrasing, summarising, or asking follow-up questions.
    • All contributions must be clearly relevant to the topic and demonstrate active listening by connecting to previous points.
    • Award credit for formulating and asking a clear, relevant question in a simulated or real interaction.
    • Candidate should show evidence of listening, e.g., by nodding, making eye contact, or verbal acknowledgment.
    • For successful participation, the assessor expects the candidate to contribute at least one statement or question that follows on from the previous speaker.
    • Marks for demonstrating the ability to summarize or repeat back key information to confirm understanding.
    • Award credit for accurately identifying at least two key points from a short verbal extract.
    • Accept methods such as repeating the instruction back or asking a relevant question to confirm understanding.
    • Evidence must show the learner taking part in a conversation with at least three exchanges on a straightforward topic.
    • Look for appropriate non-verbal cues that indicate active engagement, such as nodding or facing the speaker.
    • Learner should demonstrate turn-taking without interrupting the flow of the conversation.
    • Award credit for demonstrating clear articulation and appropriate non-verbal cues when initiating a conversation, such as facing the speaker and using a suitable tone.
    • Assess for evidence of active listening during discussions, including nodding, eye contact, and verbal backchannels (e.g., 'I see', 'Right').
    • Look for the use of open-ended questions to obtain detailed information from others, rather than just yes/no questions.
    • Check that learners use clarification strategies such as paraphrasing (e.g., 'So you're saying...'), requesting repetition, or asking for examples when information is unclear.
    • Credit contributions that build on or relate directly to the previous speaker's point, maintaining topic relevance and conversational flow.
    • Award credit for accurately repeating a set of simple instructions.
    • Look for clear evidence of turn-taking, such as waiting for a pause and responding relevantly.
    • Expect learners to ask at least one follow-up question to confirm understanding.
    • Credit responses that demonstrate listening by directly addressing the speaker's points.
    • Award credit for demonstrating the ability to ask at least one clear, relevant question to obtain information.
    • Look for evidence of active listening, such as appropriate non-verbal cues (e.g., nodding, eye contact) and providing a relevant response.
    • Assess the learner's ability to take turns appropriately in a simple conversation or group discussion.
    • Credit responses that show understanding of the information received, e.g., repeating key points or answering a follow-up question accurately.
    • Expect the learner to contribute at least two relevant utterances or sentences during the interaction without prompting.
    • Award credit for demonstrating clear and appropriate verbal communication in a two-way exchange.
    • Evidence of active listening through appropriate responses and follow-up questions.
    • Confirmation of information by paraphrasing or summarizing what was heard.
    • Relevant contributions that maintain the flow and purpose of discussion.
    • Use of non-verbal cues to support communication (eye contact, nodding, etc.).

    Assessment Guidance

    Guidance for achieving higher grades

    • 💡In the assessment, actively listen for key words and phrases that signal important information, such as names, times, or action words, to accurately extract details.
    • 💡Practice verbal confirmation techniques, like saying 'So, you mean…' or 'Just to check, should I…', to explicitly demonstrate understanding and meet assessment criteria.
    • 💡For the communication task, prepare by thinking of open-ended questions and follow-up comments to maintain a balanced exchange with a peer or assessor.
    • 💡Encourage learners to practice with a partner, taking turns to ask and answer questions about a familiar topic like hobbies.
    • 💡Remind learners that it’s acceptable to ask for repetition or clarification, which demonstrates active engagement.
    • 💡Use visual prompts or real objects during practice to support understanding and reduce cognitive load.
    • 💡Prepare learners to use simple fillers such as ‘Can you say that again?’ to maintain interaction.
    • 💡Practise active listening techniques, such as nodding and summarising, to show engagement.
    • 💡Prepare to use a range of question words (who, what, where, when, why, how) to obtain detailed information.
    • 💡Always link your contributions back to the main topic and build on what others have said.
    • 💡If you don’t understand, ask for clarification immediately rather than pretending to follow.
    • 💡Record yourself in a practice discussion to review your turn-taking and relevance.
    • 💡Practice with a partner by role-playing common scenarios, such as asking for directions or making a simple request.
    • 💡Focus on turn-taking: listen carefully to the speaker, then wait for a natural pause before responding.
    • 💡Use non-verbal signals like nodding and leaning forward to show engagement during the assessment.
    • 💡Before the assessment, prepare simple questions you might ask in different situations, e.g., 'What time does the bus arrive?', 'Where is the nearest shop?'.
    • 💡To evidence confirming understanding, practice using phrases like 'So you're saying...' or 'Just to check, do you mean...'
    • 💡In assessment recordings, ensure you are clearly facing the speaker and using nods to show you are processing what is said.
    • 💡When given instructions, repeat them back to the speaker before starting the task to demonstrate comprehension.
    • 💡Remember that listening is not just silence — provide feedback sounds (e.g., 'uh-huh', 'OK') to show you are following.
    • 💡If you didn't understand, it's better to ask for repetition than to guess and risk a mistake.
    • 💡In assessments, explicitly demonstrate turn-taking by pausing after speaking and using prompts like 'What do you think?' to invite responses.
    • 💡When obtaining information, use a variety of question types (who, what, where, when, why, how) to show depth and gather comprehensive details.
    • 💡Overtly clarifying or confirming information (e.g., 'Just to check, you said...') is often rewarded as it provides clear evidence of active listening, so make these interactions deliberate and observable.
    • 💡Keep a mental note of the main discussion topic and ensure each contribution links back to it, even if briefly, to maintain relevance and flow.
    • 💡Practice active listening by maintaining eye contact and nodding to show you are following.
    • 💡If unsure, use phrases like 'Could you say that again, please?' to ask for clarification.
    • 💡In group discussions, make sure to contribute at least once and build on what others have said.
    • 💡For assessments, repeat instructions back to the assessor to demonstrate understanding.
    • 💡Always face the person you are speaking with and make eye contact to show you are listening.
    • 💡Use simple, clear words and speak loudly enough to be heard, especially in a group discussion or assessment setting.
    • 💡Practice asking 'who', 'what', and 'where' questions with a friend or family member before your assessment.
    • 💡Remember to pause and let the other person finish talking before you respond – this shows good listening skills.
    • 💡In observed discussions, demonstrate active listening by nodding and summarizing others' points before responding.
    • 💡Prepare by practicing with peers on familiar topics to build confidence.
    • 💡During assessments, if you don't understand, ask clarifying questions rather than guessing.
    • 💡Record practice sessions to self-evaluate your contribution and body language.
    • 💡Engage with the assessor as you would in a real-life conversation, showing natural interaction.
    • 💡During the assessment, make sure you listen carefully to the instructions before you start speaking. If you're unsure, ask the assessor to repeat them – this shows good listening skills.
    • 💡When answering questions, try to give more than one-word answers. For example, if asked 'What did you do yesterday?' say 'I went to the park with my friend and we played football.' This demonstrates your ability to form sentences.
    • 💡In group discussions, show you are listening by referring to what others have said, e.g., 'I agree with Sarah because...' This earns marks for interaction and turn-taking.

    Common Mistakes

    Common errors to avoid in your coursework

    • Confusing identification with interpretation: learners may add assumed details rather than extracting explicit information from what was said.
    • Struggling to differentiate between main points and peripheral details, leading to incomplete or irrelevant recall.
    • Passively indicating understanding (e.g., nodding) without verbal confirmation, which does not meet the criterion to 'confirm their understanding'.
    • Dominating a conversation or failing to listen to others when engaging in communication, resulting in a monologue rather than interaction.
    • Learners may confuse asking a question with making a statement (e.g., stating a fact instead of formulating a query).
    • Some learners may listen but fail to process information, leading to off-topic responses.
    • Shyness or lack of confidence may result in one-word answers, limiting demonstration of participation.
    • Over-dependence on scripted phrases without adapting to the flow of conversation.
    • Dominating the conversation without allowing others to contribute.
    • Failing to listen actively, leading to irrelevant or repetitive responses.
    • Not clarifying information when unsure, resulting in misunderstandings.
    • Using inappropriate body language or eye contact that undermines communication.
    • Providing unclear or vague information when asked to share details.
    • Giving monosyllabic answers without expanding, thus not showing active participation.
    • Interrupting the speaker or speaking before the other person has finished.
    • Failing to ask clarifying questions when information is not understood.
    • Using inappropriate volume or tone for the context.
    • Learners often nod or say 'yes' without genuinely comprehending, leading to misunderstandings later.
    • Some learners interrupt because they anticipate what the speaker will say, rather than listening fully.
    • Responses may be off-topic if the learner has not fully grasped the main point of the instruction.
    • Over-reliance on the teacher or support worker to interpret instructions instead of developing independence.
    • Learners may avoid asking for clarification due to fear of appearing confused.
    • Learners often interrupt or talk over others, failing to wait for a natural pause, which disrupts the discussion and shows poor listening skills.
    • Some learners may fail to adapt their language register to the context, using overly casual slang in a formal conversation or vice versa.
    • A common misconception is that seeking clarification indicates a lack of understanding, leading learners to nod along rather than verify information, which can cause misunderstandings.
    • Many learners drift off-topic, introducing unrelated anecdotes without linking back to the discussion, which reduces the relevance of their contributions.
    • Interrupting the speaker rather than waiting for their turn.
    • Providing a response that is off-topic or unrelated to the question asked.
    • Failing to check understanding and instead pretending to comprehend.
    • Not asking for repetition when instructions are unclear.
    • Learners often forget to listen to the full response before speaking, leading to interruptions or off-topic replies.
    • Some learners may rely too heavily on one-word answers and fail to expand or engage in a meaningful exchange.
    • A common error is failing to use appropriate questioning words (who, what, where) when trying to obtain information, resulting in unclear or irrelevant questions.
    • Learners sometimes struggle to stay on topic, quickly diverting to personal anecdotes unrelated to the aim of the communication.
    • Assuming communication is just about speaking, neglecting listening skills.
    • Failing to check understanding, leading to misinformation.
    • Going off-topic during conversations.
    • Using language that is too formal or informal for the context.
    • Not allowing others to speak or dominating discussions.
    • Misconception: Speaking loudly means you are communicating well. Correction: Volume is important, but clarity, tone, and listening are equally vital. Shouting can be off-putting and doesn't guarantee understanding.
    • Misconception: You must use complex words to sound clever. Correction: At Entry Level 2, simple, clear language is best. Using words you are comfortable with helps you communicate more effectively.
    • Misconception: If you don't understand, just nod and hope for the best. Correction: It's better to ask for clarification, e.g., 'Could you repeat that, please?' This shows you are engaged and want to get it right.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions students ask about this topic

    Before You Start

    Prior knowledge that will help with this topic

    • •Entry Level 1 Speaking and Listening skills, such as being able to greet others and respond to simple questions.
    • •Basic vocabulary and understanding of everyday topics like family, hobbies, or shopping.
    • •Ability to follow simple one-step instructions (e.g., 'Close the door').

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    • 1. Identify and extract information in simple explanations, instructions and narratives2. Confirm their understanding3. Engage in communication with others
    • Asking questions
    • Listening for information
    • Turn-taking
    • Conversational participation
    • Responding appropriately
    • 1. Communicate with others2. Engage in discussion3. Obtain information from others4. Clarify and confirm information5. Contribute relevantly to conversation
    • Asking Questions
    • Active Listening
    • Turn-taking
    • Clarifying Understanding
    • Making Relevant Contributions
    • Active Listening
    • Information Extraction
    • Clarifying Understanding
    • Conversational Turn-Taking
    • Following Instructions
    • 1. Communicate with others2. Engage in discussion3. Obtain information from others4. Clarify and confirm information5. Contribute relevantly to conversation
    • Active Listening Strategies
    • Understanding Simple Instructions
    • Conversational Turn-taking
    • Confirming Understanding
    • Narrative Information Extraction
    • 1. Obtain information from others2.Actively participate in communication with others
    • 1. Communicate with others2. Engage in discussion3. Obtain information from others4. Clarify and confirm information5. Contribute relevantly to conversation

    Ready to learn?

    AI-powered learning tailored to this unit

    Related Topics in ASCENTIS vocational Foundations for Learning

    Accessing Commercial Services

    View Topic

    Accessing Commercial Services

    View Topic

    Accessing Commercial Services

    View Topic

    Accessing Commercial Services

    View Topic